Caduceus Clay
| Type = Player Character | Actor = Taliesin Jaffe | First = | Appearances = |Last = | Count = 23 | AppID = Caduceus Clay | Pre-StreamApp = false | SpecialsApp = false | C9App = false | C10App = false | C11App = true | C12App = true | C13App = true | Name = Caduceus Clay | AKA = Clay Deuces The Deuce Deucey Cad Cornelius (sailor alias) Caduce Wayne Mr. Clay Geoff | CreatureType = Humanoid | Race = Firbolg | Class = Cleric (Grave Domain) | Age = 80 - 100 years (approximately equal to a human in their mid-twenties) | Alignment = | Languages = Common; Elvish; Giant; Sylvan | Status = | DeathReason = | DeathEp = | Place = Blooming Grove | Family = Cornelius (father); unnamed mother; unnamed sisters | Connections = (worshipper) (member) The Revelry (former member) | Profession = | StatsRef = | Level = 8 | HP = 69 | AC = 18 | DC = 16 | Str = 10 | Dex = 12 | Con = 16 | Int = 9 | Wis = 20 | Cha = 16 | FanArt = }} }} is a firbolg cleric who worships the Wildmother. He is played by Taliesin Jaffe. Description Appearance |nofanart=true|artist=Ari|source=https://twitter.com/matthewmercer/status/1022734579407319040}}]] Caduceus is a seven foot tall "not necessarily healthily thin" firbolg with pale skin and grey fur. He has a shock of pink mohawk hair paired with a light fuzz of a beard. He wears a gentle silk shirt with one long flowy sleeve, dark green pants, and brown boots spotted with pink lichen. Personality Caduceus is jovial and dedicated. Long after his family abandoned the crypt they tended, he remained, ensuring that the graves of the dearly departed remained undisturbed while cultivating the plants that grew from those interred there seemingly for personal use. Kind and welcoming, he offered The Mighty Nein (then his house guests) tea before they even introduced themselves. Caduceus is also humorously blunt; as a follower of The Wildmother , he believes in the "natural order" and happily informed Beau that the leaves for their tea grew from the dead. He considered gauging time in seasons the only method that mattered. For the Mighty Nein, Caduceus often acts as a sounding board and kind ear for the troubles of the group. He is quick to make tea and food to give to others as a way of comfort. Caduceus is best known for his remarkable perception. While not the most intelligent person, he makes up for it with constant, nigh-clairvoyant insight. Moreso than Beau, Fjord has come to rely on Caduceus' council when it comes to making responsible decisions and understanding others' motivations. Biography Background |artist=nelmdraws|source=https://twitter.com/nelmdraws/status/1022905065890140160?s=19}}]] Caduceus lived with his family at the sanctuary like grave site of the Blooming Grove. Located within the depths of the Savalierwood, it was know by those of Shadycreek Run to the southeast as the Bone Orchard. Predating Shadycreek Run, and surrounded by the cursed blighted woods, the old stone church that stood there was surrounded by three consecutive rings of rusted fence built to hold back the continually encroaching razor-like grey-purple thorn vines, which had just breached the third fence in 835 P.D. Chapter 11 Chapter 12 ' ' Caduceus is visibly disturbed by by the group's stealing the ship and almost drowning trying to reach the ship as it sailed away. He heals Gallan, but then immediately goes to sit curled up alone on deck. Caduceus wonders to Jester if he made a mistake by leaving his home with the Mighty Nein. It has been a long time since he has received a sign from The Wildmother. Jester reassures him that temporary silence doesn't mean his god has abandoned him. She reminds him the world is much bigger than his cemetary; to complete his quest he will have to step out of his comfort zone. Caduceus calms down after their talk and heads belowdecks to further clear his head by cooking. The opportunity to experiment with new types of tropical fruit found in The Mistake galley excites him. ' ' He adopted the pirate alias "Cornelius" when introducing himself to Captain Avantika . and later became a deckhand and apprentice bosun. ' ' Caduceus, along with the rest of the Mighty Nein, was automatically initiated into the ranks of the Revelry upon arriving at Darktow Isle. ' ' Jester and Caduceus coordinate casting Control Water to reduce the damaged Squall Eater's travel time to the Diver's Grave. Between the two of them casting the spell once a day each, they take three days off the journey. Upon reaching the area Fjord believes the Tide's Breath wrecked, Jester and Caduceus alternate castings of Locate Object to find a likely area to start diving. Relationships 'Clay Family' Caduceus stated that he had several sisters, brothers, and his parents, but he did not know where any of them were. His family members had left the Blooming Grove one by one to find and fight off the source of the cursed blight that had overtaken the Savalierwood and had been encroaching on the Blooming Grove for over one hundred years. One of his sisters had been the last to leave to the east, which had been around 18 to 20 seasons ago. Though Caduceus generally likes everyone, he has ill feelings towards one of his siblings. Caleb Widogast Caduceus commonly refers to and addresses Caleb formally as "Mister Caleb." Caduceus has expressed to Caleb that he believes the world is shaping Caleb into something important, and that he wants to ensure that he helps Caleb get to that point. [[Jester Lavorre|'Jester Lavorre']] At first Jester had been wary of a new cleric, but the two have grown close over time. They have often bonded over being able to cast some of the same spells, such as Control Water and Create Food and Water during extended sea journeys. Character Information ] Abilities * Swarm of Beetles Feats * War Caster Firbolg Abilities * Firbolg Magic * Hidden Step * Powerful Build * Speech of Beast and Leaf Cleric Abilities * Channel Divinity (2 uses) ** Channel Divinity: Turn Undead * Destroy Undead (CR 1) * Divine Domain (Grave Domain) ** Channel Divinity: Path to the Grave ** Circle of Mortality ** Eyes of the Grave ** Potent Spellcasting ** Sentinel at Death's Door * Ritual Casting * Spellcasting Domain Spells 1st-level * Bane * False Life 2nd-level * Gentle Repose * Ray of Enfeeblement 3rd-level * Revivify * Vampiric Touch 4th-level * Blight * Death Ward Cleric Spells In addition to his domain spells, Caduceus has access to four cleric cantrips, the Spare the Dying cantrip, and 1st- through 4th-level cleric spells. As a 8th-level cleric, he can prepare up to 13 of these spells per day. As part of the Grave Domain, Spare The Dying can be cast as a bonus action and as a ranged spell (30 foot range). Cantrips * Decompose * Light * Sacred Flame * Spare the Dying * Thaumaturgy 1st-level * Bless * Create or Destroy Water * Cure Wounds * Guiding Bolt * Healing Word * Protection from Evil and Good 2nd-level * Blindness/Deafness * Calm Emotions * Enhance Ability * Lesser Restoration * Locate Object * Prayer of Healing * Protection from Poison 3rd-level * Create Food and Water * Dispel Magic * Meld into Stone * Spirit Guardians * Water Walk 4th-level * Control Water * Divination * Locate Creature * Stone Shape Notable Items * A bag of tea leaves and flowers cultivated from the Blooming Grove grave garden * A metal-like breastplate and shield made from pearlescent turquoise green-blue chitin. It is covered in lichen and was made by one of his sisters * Blight Staff: A knotted wooden staff that was topped with a large uncut amethyst. Like his armor, it is covered in lichen and is described as being "wet" and "alive". This staff lets him summon a Swarm of Insects that act on his turn. * Tea Set * Cooking set * Herbalism Kit * Garlic and spices * Old broken blade from the Age of Arcanum (Obtained from Pumat Sol). Uthadornian in origin. * Straw Hat (replaced by Jester after she stole his previous one) * Periapt of Wound Closure (obtained from Caleb after Caduceus suffered a series of near-death experiences ) * Shield of Retribution * Quaal's Feather Token (Tree) Quotations * "Have you ever been in nature? Yes! Violence is extremely natural." * "I'm just... I'm just gonna turn 'em into mulch. That's okay. Shhhhh..." * Caduceus: "Something will be here." Beau: "What did you just do?" Caduceus: "I made the Earth remember him." * bemused "I don't understand what that means." * happily bemused "I don't understand what's going on." *happily bemused "That's really great." *"Sleep well with your bad decisions." *"I could fill a book with what I don't know." *"Not cool, man." (after exorcising a ghost from Beauregard) *"We're running; it's bad!" (after walking out of a wall during a fight with a dragon) Trivia * Caduceus has the highest wisdom (20) of all of The Mighty Nein, as well as the lowest intelligence (9). * A caduceus is an ancient Greek or Roman herald's wand, typically one with two serpents twined around it, carried by the messenger god, Hermes or Mercury. Hermes also acted as a psychopomp, a being tasked with guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife. The Caduceus acted as a key to the underworld, and as a tool to guide the deceased. The Caduceus is associated with healing in the US due to its similarity to the rod of Asclepius. * His name may also be a reference to Cassius Clay, the birth name of Muhammad Ali. * Caduceus claimed to be a good gardener, having grown lilies, bramble, mushrooms, and moss within the sanctuary of the Blooming Grove. * Caduceus' resemblance to RPG designer Adam Koebel quickly drew comment from Adam, Matt, and Taliesin.See Adam's tweet from during the show riffing on the resemblance, Matt's tweet from after the show recounting when he first saw the art for Caduceus, and Taliesin's tweet from after the show responding to Adam's tweet. * While Caduceus' love of tea appears to be a reference to the last name of Mollymauk Tealeaf, and his official color palette matches that of Arizona Green Tea, Taliesin has stated that these relations are all purely coincidental, and Caduceus' habit of drinking tea was a spur of the moment decision he made moments before being introduced. * Caduceus is Taliesin's first character in Critical Role not built on any character options created by Matt. * Matt revealed on Twitter that the cantrip "Decompose" was custom created for Caduceus as a sort of flavor cantrip. See Matt's response to a fan asking what cantrip Caduceus cast on Molly's grave. * Taliesin revealed on Talks Machina that the pink on Caduceus' armor isn't flowers but a specific species of moss. *Awakening from a night's rest along the road through the Ashkeeper Peaks in the Menagerie Coast, the Mighty Nein met a pet vendor heading north to Rexxentrum. During this interaction Taliesin expressed that he and Caduceus were in conflict over wanting to purchase the crimson weasel as Caduceus was a vegetarian. * It can be assumed that Caduceus is a virgin, as it is implied that he is unaware of the sensation of "post-coital feelings" Beau mentions when he observes the dodecahedron. * Taliesin confirmed in Talks Machina Episode 96 that Cornelius, given earlier as a false name to Avantika, is the name of Caduceus' father. 'Gallery' File:IMG_20180729_114524.jpg| File:Caio_Santos-Caduceus-Clay.jpg| File:IMG_20180805_153221.jpg| References Art: Category:Main player characters Category:Followers of the Wildmother Category:Appeared in Chapter 12